


stars in their eyes

by the_mixed_up_files_of_me



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: F/M, Very fluffy, and very feels-y, this takes place about a year after the final scene of DEH
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-19 11:52:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11897175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_mixed_up_files_of_me/pseuds/the_mixed_up_files_of_me
Summary: They stand in the orchard's parking lot a moment, neither saying anything. Evan hesitantly holds out his hand and she shakes it; his palms are damp and she suspects that her's are too. The physical contact after so much time apart flares up hidden memories. To hesitantly and formally shake his hand when she still vividly remembers how his fingertips had felt tracing her skin in patterns and constellations is an almost surreal experience."





	stars in their eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for all the support I've been getting on my fics. You all mean the world to me! Love, hugs and happy reading! <3

Nervousness is a mild word to describe how Zoe feels about her first date with Evan.

Technically, it isn't her first date with Evan. Their experiences prior to the confession seem distant, unattached to the person she has learned to forgive and love. They'd gone on dates together in high school but there always had been a facade, put up not just by Evan. It's hard to fully explain with words for Zoe, the divide and distance between the two times in their lives. The space between the _then_ and the _now_.

They'd met at the orchard again last week, not long after the first time she invited him there. Zoe was the one that initiated asking him out, much to her own surprise. Evan was rendered completely speechless, managing to stutter out that he'd really like to see her again. And it was decided, quite simply, that they'd meet at the orchard again and put a label on it as a date.

Everything is different now. This date, their first real one since everything happened, is stripping everything bare and cutting everything down to truly just them.

It's not as if Zoe hasn't played the different versions of how this night could turn out in her mind over and over again. It's like a movie in her mind; every alternative, every possible ending to the evening is mentally laid out before her in a series of snapshots.

Drumming her fingers on the steering wheel, Zoe wonders if this is even a good idea.

It isn't until she sees his face once she reaches the orchard that she decides that the nervousness has been worth it. He looks a little different, since he's reaches college; Zoe realises that she must look different too. It's to be expected.

"Hi," she says, her words feeling heavy and awkward on her tongue. They stand in the orchard's parking lot a moment, neither saying anything. Evan hesitantly holds out his hand and she shakes it; his palms are damp and she suspects that her's are too. The physical contact after so much time apart flares up memories. To hesitantly and formally shake his hand when she still vividly remembers how his fingertips had felt tracing her skin in patterns and constellations is an almost surreal experience.

Evan shifts. "Want to...go for a walk?"

Zoe nods.

To walk side by side and not hold hands is a stranger feeling yet. His hands fit her's like a glove; she feels almost cold and uncovered without him. Trying to push away her apprehension, she looks around at the rows of trees, the arching sky and the fragrant scent of nature that floats in the air.

"It's a beautiful night," she comments, with far too much formality.

He responds with equal measure. "Yeah it is."

Silence sets in and envelops them however it is not the comfortable kind that they often shared together before. Those silences were mutual and mild; neither felt the absence of words before so strongly as they do now.

Zoe has to say something; she can't bear it any longer. "How are you doing in college?"

Evan is relieved by the safe question. "Uh, good. Yeah. It's good."

"I'm glad." Zoe pauses, sucking in a breath of air before asking, "And your anxiety?"

Evan gives her a reassuring smile, as if she's the one who needs it and not him. "I'm doing better. Therapy has been a big help. I might even move on campus soon."

"I'm really happy for you, Evan," Zoe says and means it completely.

Evan smiles slightly before prompting her, "How about you?"  
  
There's a million answers to his question and Zoe gets caught up in all of them. How can she possibly tell him how much she's missed everything about him? What do you do when you're an impossible distance away from someone? How do you reach across that divide?

Zoe realises that Evan is still waiting for an answer. "I'm...fine. Thank you."

"How's college?"

"Weird," she impulsively replies before adding, "In a good way."

Evan gives her a concerned look. "'Weird'?" he repeats.

"It's a big change," Zoe answers carefully, "A lot to process all at once." _Especially alone_ , she thinks but doesn't let herself say aloud.

Their path comes to a stop next to one of the tallest trees in the orchard. Zoe stands at the bottom and looks up at the dark branches that scrape against the twilight sky. Forgetting her own nervousness for a moment, Zoe gestures to one of the low hanging, thick branches that are invitingly stretched out. "Want to sit?"

Evan loves trees; of course he says yes. He easily climbs up the branch before extending his hand and helping her up next to him. He lingers before letting her hand go, sending a warm wave of pleasure through her, melting some of the stiffness away.

What is there to talk about now, though? It's a more comfortable silence but silence all the same. It's ironic; at one time, they'd have been probably kissing and holding hands up here and now they are intentionally sitting with distance between them.

It's so awkward, so hilariously ironic to Zoe that she starts laughing uncontrollably. "Evan, we literally used to put our tongues in each other's mouths."

This blunt, unfiltered remark startles him at first. There's a split second pause, hanging in the air, thick and heavy. Zoe waits for a reaction and she gets one.

Evan bursts out laughing and agrees with her and all the tension seems ridiculous now. It's just a date, not the end of the world. How hard can this really be?

It's Evan Hansen and Zoe Murphy; they can withstand anything together, even first dates.

-

They stay late, so late that it's almost pitch black out by the time they reach their cars.

Once the conversation started, all their unspoken words burst out of the seams. Zoe confessed all her worry about college, the loneliness she feels there, how it seems like she's all alone when surrounded by hundreds of students. Evan tells her about how every day is a struggle to get through at college, how saving money is impossibly hard to pay for semesters. And by the end, he finally looked her in the eyes and told her that missing her every day makes it even harder.

With that one sentence, all her worries that she is the only one who missed _them_ evaporated into the evening air.

Standing in the parking lot, illuminated only by the neon street light, Zoe suddenly doesn't know if this is just a beautiful moment with sparks or something that can be more than just one evening together. _How would I even ask? Is it weird to ask? Do I hug him goodbye or kiss him? Oh my god, what do I do?_

Of course, Evan is sharing the exact same thoughts. He too had imagined every different way the evening could end but now that it's actually real and happening, he doesn't know what to do other than stand and stare at Zoe uncertainly.

"Well, goodnight, Evan," Zoe finally says because she doesn't know what else to say.

"Goodnight Zoe. Be careful."

They say this but neither show actual indication of moving.

Until Evan impulsively leans forward and kisses her quickly. So light and fast that it's a whisper of a kiss but enough to light the fire. Catching his face in her hands, she pulls him tightly against her; he hesitates, taken by surprise, before she feels the shift. His hands tuck around her waist, pressing the kiss deeper, holding onto her as if she is the most important person in the world. All the oxygen in Zoe's lungs seems to disappear and she doesn't doubt for a second that Evan feels exactly the same.

They've got stars in their eyes. Neither has to ask if there will be another date or if there will be a reprise to their love story. They don't have to. It's silently understood that this is not the final scene of their movie, it is the first; this is the first date of many, many more to come and this is just the beginning. It's one of their unspoken agreements, one of their moments of connection and understanding that far surpasses the recklessness of spoken words.

They just _know_ that this is _their_ story.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you have a Zoevan fic request or feel like leaving a comment or kudos, all are welcome and loved! Xoxo


End file.
